Saturday, June 29, 2013

Disney fans can now wake up and start every beautiful morning with their favorite furious fowl Donald Duck using Wake Up with Disney. People can turn an alarm clock into an interactive activity with 3D Disney characters, starring the popular Donald Duck at launch with more characters to come.

Fans can customize and choose additional costumes with backgrounds for Donald like Safari and Fire Chief. Donald Duck talks, laughs, and interacts with fans along with waking them up.

Wake Up with Disney featuring Donald Duck has other capabilities as well, including a 5-Day weather forecast, flashlight, and nightlight, all in one app.

Visit the App Store to download Wake Up With Disney is available to download for $.99 for iOS devices on the App Store: http://bit.ly/14gjcsr.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Disney Takes Fans Behind the Magic with an Unprecedented Look at the Imagineering “Dream Factory”

BURBANK, Calif. – June 28, 2013 – In honor of the 60th anniversary of Walt Disney Imagineering and the origins of Disney Parks and Resorts, Imagineering is hosting an “open house” at the D23 Expo, August 9-11, opening the doors of its unique facilities and offering an unprecedented look at its creative processes—all on the floor of the Anaheim Convention Center. In addition, Imagineers past and present will host an entire day of panel discussions on Sunday, August 11, celebrating their 60 magical years of “dreaming and doing.”

Within the “open house” pavilion, D23 Expo guests will get an up close look at an eclectic array of Imagineering’s creative minds—ride engineers, model builders, pre-visualization artists, special effects designers, inventors, and show animators—as they share the skills and talents behind Imagineering’s creative process. In addition, guests will have the chance to glimpse at the “workspaces” of several project teams from around Disney’s global portfolio of parks and resorts, perhaps spotting a few clues into coming attractions along the way.

For the first time at the D23 Expo, Walt Disney Imagineering will be showcasing some of its most historical and revered concept art from its Art Library, including Herb Ryman’s original drawing of Disneyland. Also in the Disney Parks pavilion, D23 Expo guests will again have the chance to explore Mickey’s of Glendale, an outlet of Walt Disney Imagineering’s employee-only store, to shop for unique souvenirs and collectibles and Walt Disney Imagineering merchandise not available anywhere else.

In addition to the Imagineering Open House, D23 Expo attendees will be able to attend 12 unique presentations and panel discussions that will take fans on the incredible journey behind the latest Disney resorts, attractions, and entertainment including:

·The Art and Artistry of Aulani – Imagineers Joe Rohde and Jeanette Lomboy will share the authentic tapestry of art and stories found at Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa.

·Mayhem, Mischief, and Monkeys: The Magic of Mystic Manor – Join Imagineers Joe Lanzisero and others for the strange stories behind Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic Manor, the newest and one of the most sophisticated attractions ever built.

·Undiscovered Disneyland – Legendary Imagineer Tony Baxter shares rare and never-before-seen footage of the early days of Disneyland, from design and construction through opening day.

·Broadcasts from Buena Vista Street – Enjoy the latest ‘soundtrack’ from Disney California Adventure’s Buena Vista Street, featuring a live performance of Scary Symphonyfrom radio station KBVS and a panel discussion led by Imagineers.

·Disney Ambassadors – Join current Disney Parks Ambassadors from around the world as they discuss this renowned program and share insights about its rich heritage, current outreach efforts, and the importance of sharing Disney goodwill.

·Voices of the Disney Parks – Back by popular demand, this panel of famous Disney voices will gather for an encore panel discussion, including recreations of some unforgettable Disney Parks sayings.

The panels continue on Sunday August 11, with a full day dedicated to the celebration of Walt Disney Imagineering’s 60th anniversary. The presentations in the 2,000-seat Stage 23 with current and former Imagineers will explore a wide range of topics, from working with Walt Disney himself and the exploration of creativity, innovation, and humor in the parks, to a lively discussion of what it’s like to lead one of the world’s most creative organizations. More details on these exciting panels and presenters will be revealed soon.

About D23 Expo 2013

The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings the entire world of Disney under one roof, providing attendees with unprecedented access to Disney films, television, and theme parks. For the latest D23 Expo 2013 news, visit www.D23Expo.com. To be part of the D23 Expo conversation, make sure to follow @DisneyD23 and tag your tweets with #D23Expo.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

“À La Mode” Invites Guests at the Ultimate Disney Fan Event to Dress Their Best For Fun and Prizes On Friday, August 9

BURBANK, Calif. – June 25, 2013 – Since the first D23 Expo in 2009, fans have shown their passion for Disney by dressing up as their favorite and most beloved Disney characters while attending the one-of-a-kind event at the Anaheim Convention Center. This year, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club celebrates that excitement and enthusiasm with the first À La Mode Costume Contest, which will take place Friday, August 9 at 2:30 p.m. in Stage 23.

À La Mode, named after The Incredibles’ couture genius Edna Mode, is the first competition of its kind to showcase fans’ creativity through costumes inspired by all things Disney, including Motion Pictures (Animation, Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm); Parks & Resorts; Consumer Products; Media Networks (including Disney Channel, ABC, and ESPN); and Interactive.

Five collectible trophies—specially designed for the À La Mode Costume Contest—will be awarded to the most magical costumes in the following categories: Original Design (or inspired by…), Re-creation, Craftsmanship, Young Fan, and Best in Show.

The contest will be two (2) hours in length, and, therefore, the number of entrants is limited. Guests interested in participating MUST complete an entry form, available now at D23Expo.com. Closing date for entry is July 21. Not all applications for entry will be accepted. Applications will be evaluated on the merits of quality and quantity and selected at the producers’ discretion.

Tickets for the D23 Expo are $57 for a one-day adult admission and $47 for children 3–12. Tickets for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club are $50 for a one-day adult admission and $42 for children. Multi-day money-saving tickets are also available for both D23 Members and the general public, and D23 Members can save as much as $84 off the price of admission, based on the purchase of four three-day tickets at the D23 Member rate. For more information on tickets and the ticket pricing structure for members and general admission, visit D23Expo.com.

About D23 Expo 2013

The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings the entire world of Disney under one roof, providing attendees with unprecedented access to Disney films, television, and theme parks. For the latest D23 Expo 2013 news, visit D23Expo.com. To be part of the D23 Expo conversation, make sure to follow @DisneyD23 and tag your tweets with #D23Expo.

Monday, June 24, 2013

At the time Goofy & Wilbur were released, I thought what a great pairing this sculpture would be with Fishing Mickey. Even though they're from two different shorts, it could really make for a fun display!I recently added both these pieces to my collection and couldn't be happier in how the two pieces look together. It's like they were each sculpted with the other piece in mind.Fishing Mickey ('Something Fishy') from The Simple Things (1953) was an Open Edition release sculpted by Patrick Romandy-Simmons. The sculpture was released in March, 1999 and honored with retirement in April, 2001.Goofy & Wilbur ('Fishing Follies') from Goofy & Wilbur (1939) was a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 1,000 sculpted by Bruce Lau. The sculpture was released in October, 2007.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

BURBANK, Calif. – June 11, 2013 – D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is thrilled to announce a special theatrical performance, Broadway and Beyond.Thomas Schumacher, president and producer, Disney Theatrical Productions will host a musical journey into Disney's history on Broadway and beyond at the D23 Expo: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

Heidi Blickenstaff

The performance features an all-star line-up, including Heidi Blickenstaff (THE LITTLE MERMAID), Ashley Brown(MARY POPPINS and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST),Merle Dandridge (TARZAN® and AIDA), Josh Strickland (TARZAN®) and Alton Fitzgerald White (THE LION KING), who sing beloved songs from the award-winning musicals they starred in as well as classic tunes from the Disney on Broadway catalogue.

The one night only performance will take place on Friday, August 9, 2013 at 6:30pm on Stage 23 inside the Anaheim Convention Center.

Ashley Brown

DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS, a division of The Walt Disney Studios,was formed in 1994 and operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher. Worldwide, its eight Broadway titles have been seen by over 124 million theatergoers, grossed over $8.9 billion and have cumulatively run a staggering 195 years. With 15 productions currently produced or licensed, a Disney musical is being performed professionally somewhere on the planet virtually every hour of the day.

Alton Fitzgerald White

The company’s inaugural production, Beauty and the Beast, opened in 1994. Itplayed a remarkable 13 year run on Broadway and has been produced in 28 countries worldwide. In November 1997, Disney opened The Lion King, which received six 1998 Tony® Awards including Best Musical and is now the highest grossing show in Broadway history. The show continues in its 16th smash year, having welcomed over 68 million visitors worldwide. The Lion King can also currently be seen on tour across North America, the U.K., and Japan, and in London’s West End, Hamburg, Tokyo, Madrid, and Sao Paulo.

Merle Dandridge

Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida opened on Broadway next, winning four 2000 Tony® Awards, and spawning productions around the world. Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, opened in London in 2004 and established itself as one of the biggest stage musical successes to emerge in recent years. The Tony Award®-winning Broadway production played more than six years at Disney’s New Amsterdam Theatre and can now be seen on tour across North America and in Mexico City.

Josh Strickland

Tarzan®, which opened on Broadway in 2006, is now an international hit with an award-winning production in its 6th year in Germany. In January 2008, The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway and was the #1-selling new musical of that year. Its success continues with three new productions around the world: Holland, Russia and Japan.

Two new critically acclaimed productions opened on Broadway in 2012, receiving seven Tony® Awards between them: Newsies, in its second year at the Nederlander Theatre, and Peter and the Starcatcher, now playing at New World Stages.

Other successful stage musical ventures have included King David in concert, the national tour of On The Record, several touring versions of Disney’s High School Musical, and Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin.

Its new musical, Aladdin, will open in Toronto in fall 2013.

About D23 Expo 2013

The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings the entire world of Disney under one roof, providing attendees with unprecedented access to Disney films, television and theme parks. For the latest D23 Expo 2013 news, visit www.D23Expo.com. To be part of the D23 Expo conversation, make sure to follow @DisneyD23 and tag your tweets with #D23Expo.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

In October, 2007 the Walt Disney Classics Collection, in honor of Goofy's 75th Anniversary released Goofy & Wilbur.This is probably my favorite WDCC sculpt of Goofy. So many things that I like about this piece .. the interaction between Goofy and Wilbur and the sculpture being more than just them in a boat but includes some environment with the water and cattails.The piece also includes a lot of plussing elements .. Wilbur is made of bronze, Goofy's ears are made of pewter and his hair strands are a nylon fiber. The motor handle and reed stems are brass and the handle on the fishing net is pewter. A special anniversary backstamp was added in honor of his 75th Anniversary. "Fishing Follies" a Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) of 1,000 was sculpted by Bruce Lau.Goofy and Wilbur is a cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures on March 17, 1939. It was the first cartoon which featured Goofy in his first solo role without Mickey Mouse and/or Donald Duck. In this cartoon Goofy goes fishing with his pet grasshopper, Wilbur, only for persistent bad luck to befall the duo. The cartoon is notable for its high level of japery throughout, and its remarkable sequence of 13 consecutive pratfalls.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The creators of the Rock Band and Dance Centralvideo games are teaming up with Disney for a game that inserts you into the world of Fantasia.

As apprentice to sorcerer Yen Sid, Mickey Mouse experimented with magic in the 1940 animated classic. In Fantasia: Music Evolved,Yen Sid tutors the player's fledgling skills using Fantasia's magical realms.

"You are the new sorcerer's apprentice," says John Drake of the Boston game development studio Harmonix, which pioneered the music and dance game genres. Yen Sid, which is "Disney" spelled backwards (a nod to studio head Walt), thinks that "you have musical potential," he says, "and the power to become a great musical sorcerer."

The game also seeks to inject some magic into the muted music game category, which approached $2 billion in sales in 2008, when games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band were most popular. Fantasia: Music Evolved "is different," says Harmonix project lead Daniel Sussman. "We're trying to build something accessible and creative."

Players use their body movements to — like magic — transform a colorful, vivid interactive world inspired by the original film. Like theDance Central video games, Fantasia: Music Evolved makes use of the Kinect motion sensor; its camera captures the player's body and puts their silhouette on screen.Fantasia: Music Evolved is expected to be released next year for Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

By reaching out toward the screen, players direct their magical "muse" across the landscape, transforming the objects they linger on. An oceanic level has a circle of spinning seahorses that make music as you hover over them and a playable calliope made of coral. An industrial newspaper plant level requires you to command repair droids and resurrect the production process.

You unlock 25-plus songs as you progress through more than one dozen realms. As songs play, you use your arms, as if you are casting magical spells, to match rhythmic cues on screen, just as players matched beats on guitar and drum controllers inGuitar Hero and Rock Band.

Instead of tapping buttons on the plastic guitar neck or hitting drums in those games, players swipe one or two hands up or down or left to right, based on the on-screen pattern. Other times, you push toward the screen — as if you are wielding the Force — and trace curvy designs. All the while, you are amassing magical energy points, although the designers expect to make the game essentially a no-fail adventure.

At certain points during the songs, you can choose one of three different mixes. Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, for instance, had an original mix, an orchestral mix and an '80s heavy-metal ballad mix.

Each decision is reflected through the entirety of the song, resulting in a new mix. Designers plan to let players save and share their mixes with others.

Magical energy is used to further transform the landscapes. In the world called The Shoal, you can unlock a set of clams that come to life as a playable jazz drum set, complete with snare, toms and cymbals. Record a series of notes and the loop plays as part of the score during the rest of the game.

"You as the magician are casting out your energy to great affect and great impact in this world," says Sussman. "The reward basically is to use tools we give you to mold (the game world) in your own image."

Once you unlock areas in the game, they will be available for arcade and party play. The game designers also plan to have a two-player mode.

Disney Interactive approached Harmonix three years ago about the project. "We wanted to create a new experience for Fantasia," says Chris Nicholls, executive producer at Disney Interactive. "Not just take the film and make it interactive so you could dance with hippos, pretend to be a crocodile or fight dinosaurs."

He and the Harmonix team went through an archive of Fantasia production notes and early storyboards searching for core principles to build the game around. The game designers connected with the scene where Mickey is on a mountaintop manipulating the heavens and weather, and with it, the orchestral backdrop.

Thus, in the game "you do reach out and grab music and change it," Sussman says."You take very familiar pieces of music and art and transform it into something very personal."

Fantasia: Music Evolved is an interactive successor to the original film, which Walt Disney described as "an adventure in color, sound and motion," Nicholls says. The game "takes you on an adventure through color, sound and motion (and) lets you experience that rush and interaction with creativity that many games don't."

Saturday, June 1, 2013

A scene from Monsters University in the third step of Pixar’s progressive animation process, digital modeling.

In the latest exclusive from Disney Insider, Disney•Pixar fans have a chance to get a behind the scenes look at the making of Monsters University. Using an animated GIF, Disney Insider is giving fans an inside look at Pixar’s six-step progressive animation process, showing one scene from the film as it is transformed from an initial sketch into the final frame that will appear on the big screen. Head to Disney Insiderto check it out now!

Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, Disney•Pixar’s “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars,” “Mater and the Ghostlight,” “Tracy”), produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and features music from future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 3”).